As Chinese President Xi Jinping reemerges in-person on the world stage after more than two years of avoiding travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his visit to Saudi Arabia may be his most impactful trip yet. The Chinese leader is seeking to bolster Beijing’s ties in a strategic region where the longstanding influence of the United States appears to be on on…
Jordan has a plan to retain nation’s youth – can they sell it?
All Anas Atef wants is to open a restaurant and live next door to his parents. His family has other plans for the 22-year-old college student: leave the country. “The last thing I want to do is leave my family and community behind, although they are all telling me to leave,” Mr. Atef says. “I’m defying them and staying. But…
China lends billions to poor countries. Is that a burden … or a blessing?
Chinese leaders have often boasted about their country’s “miracle” progress in alleviating poverty and indicated their willingness to share their expertise with other nations. Take its “Belt and Road Initiative,” also known as the New Silk Road. China has spent nearly one trillion dollars in the last decade building highways, railways, ports and energy plants from east Asia to Europe in a…
Water and food are overwhelming concerns for Middle East, Arab Barometer poll finds
Issues related to water, including pollution and scarcity, are key concerns in the Arab world, according to a study that canvassed the views of more than 26,000 people in a dozen nations. The Arab Barometer research by Princeton University found that while climate change was a worry for the region’s public, issues with a more immediate day-to-day impact tended to…
Attitudes toward women in politics changing in MENA: Poll
Arab Barometer cites introduction of gender quotas in national assemblies as one of the reasons Report urges governments to tackle structural obstacles to increasing female participation in labor force WASHINGTON D.C.: Sentiment toward women becoming political leaders are changing in favor of gender equality in the Middle East and North Africa, according to polling by the Arab Barometer, a research…